Vapor generation and puffing with audible effects in toys



W. R. SMITH VAPOR GENERATION AND PUFFING WITH Feb. l5, 1949.

AUDIBLE EFFECTS IN TOYS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 30, 1941 Q m/ @INU v I u u ..1 Si Y n i. m `.wei.519,257.6 *l E .m

Feb. 15, 1949. w. R SMH-H 2,461,664

VAPOR GENERATION AND PUFFING WITH AUDIBLE EFFECTS IN TOYS Filed Aug. 30, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I a gri/Q4 (2?) fg //0 w. W z;

u l l Il U l' Ef'ff which it may Y materials of which Patented Feb. 15, 1949 VAPOR GENERATION AND PUFFING WITH AUDIBLE EFFECTS IN TOYS William R. Smith, Philadelphia,

Pa., assigner to The A. C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Maryland Application August 30, 1941, Serial No. 409,056

53 Claims.

A copending application Serial No. 366,892, now U. S. Patent No. 2,317,974, discloses sound producing apparatus incorporated in electrically powered toy trains or model trains for effectively imitating the puing noise of a steam' locomotive.

The present invention relates to ways and means for producing either in conjunction with such puiiing sounds, or in the absence thereof, the emission of visible fume laden smoke-like vapor from a toy locomotive or other toy structure in realistic pufl's, and in the case of a toy locomotive so that the performance of the vapor shall simulate the familiar puffs of smoke and steam which are discharged by a real locomotive at each stroke of the pistons in their power cylinders and without of necessity being limited to synchronism with the traction wheel speed of my toy locomotive.

An object o! the invention is to produce pulls and wafting billows of visible vapor in miniature form which shall resemble in color and density, and in waiting and dwelling behavior the actual puil's o1' steam and smoke given oir by a real steam engine such as drives a locomotive.

A further object is to augment the effectiveness of the above mentioned imitative pulling sound by the added spectacle of visible smoke pulls given of! preferably in predetermined time relation, and if desired in substantial synchronism, with the occurrence of the pulling sounds.

A further object is to generate and store for thus being ejected from a toy locomotive or other toy structure visible vapor smoke or fumes which shall be entirely harmless to a child playing with the toy, even if he were to breathe such vapors or if they were to come in sustained contact with sensitive tissues of the body. It is also an object to produce realistic visible vapor which shall be harmless to any of the home furnishings with come in contact, and which shall be with respect to all metal and other the track or rolling stock of a toy train is composed.

A further object is to provide apparatus for generating and storing a continuous vsupply of such harmless vapor in suillcient quantity to pronon-corrosive tirely within the unenlarged interior of a conventional toy locomotive or other piece of toy rolling stock hauled thereby, so that neither the presence nor the location of the vvapor generating and storing apparatus shall in any Wayxbe indicated tothe casual observer.

of generating the vapor the material will last for a maximum period before needing replenishment.

A further object is reliably to confine the material from which the vapor is generated against spilling or accidental escape regardless of whether the toy rolling stock by which it is carried is overturned or violently shaken. Another object is to provide for very convenient replenishment of the material whenever required.

A still further object is to generate visible vapor in sufficient volume by the use of heat of such low degree that no temperature other toy structure which can come into contact with the person of a child playing with it.

A further object is to make use of `a. common producing the puffing visible vapor, and to pressure to act through instrumentalities involving uid communication between the sound producing device and the means for generating or storing the vapor.

A still further object mon motivator or the sound producing devices and the vapor electing devices.

Still another object is to make the vapor generating and ejecting apparatus easily applicable moving the apparatus.

The above and other objectives will become more thoroughly apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment o f the invention in which description reference is had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing partially in section an electrically impelled toy locomotive fashioned after a realsteam locomotive together with the toy tender hauled thereby as part of a full toy train (not shown) incorporating apparatus embodying the present inventions.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rear end or cab section of the locomotive drawn on an enlarged scale and showing the roof of the cab broken away to expose certain vapor generating and storing apparatus contained therein.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the'cab compartment of the toy locomotive taken partly in section on the planes 3-3 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view taken in section on the planes 4-4 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view taken in section on the plane 5--5 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a view showing on an enlarged scale in side elevation with side walls partially broken away a toy tender incorporating apparatus embodying a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a plan view taken partially in section on the plane 1-1 in Fig. 6. y

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the current collector shoes detached from one of the wheel trucks of the tender of Fig. 1 or 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a voltage modu- A lating and current switching electrical controller which may be employed in the electrical system of Fig. 10.

Fig. 10 is a diagram of the electrical apparatus and circuit connections.

Fig. 11 shows a modified provision for tubing connection at the stack.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view of the cylinder section of the locomotive shell broken away to lexpose interior construction.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken in section on the plane I3-I3 in Fig. 7 looking in the direction of the arrows.

As in the aforesaid Patent No. 2,317,974, Fig. 1 of this application shows the ordinarily empty hollow space within the enclosing walls or body shell of locomotive tender II to contain a sound producing apparatus which operates to imitate faithfully puing sounds made by the intermittent exhaust of steam and smoke in a real steam 1ocomotive. The structure of the fluid impulsing or fluid activating sound producing apparatus includes a horizontal hollow cylinder 26 one end of which may be completely closed by a cap 21 and the other end of which is open and receives in sliding engagement therewith an impulser or reciprocator here shown in the form of a conventional composite air pump plunger 28 made up of a rigid disc 29 of somewhat smaller diameter than the inside of the cylinder 26 to which disc is secured a cupped washer 30 of very exibie material, such as oil-soaked leather, whose iiexible peripheral flange lls and slidably engages with the interior surface of the cylinder 26 in a manner fully to partition the latter even when disc 29 occupies Positions of oblique inclination to the axis of the cylinder as indicated in Fig. 1. The

inner face of plunger 28 thereby serves as an air impelling instrumentality for generating air ow. Flexible washer 30 is backed up by a stiff plate 3l. Plunger 28 is pulled and pushed back and forth lengthwise of the cylinder by a pitman bar 33 whose bent over end 34 has threaded engagement with screw 35 and is clamped flxedly against backing plate 3l by means of this screw which penetrates and holds together the disc 29. cup

4 washer 36, and backing plate 3i. A lock nut 38 prevents these parts from working loose.

To permit a prime mover in the form of an electric motor, indicated as a whole by 39, to be located at the end of cylinder 26 within the tender il, pitman bar 33 is provided with an offset bend 40. At its end remote from plunger 28 pitman 33 is pivotally connected at 4I to the outer face of a gear 42 which is rotatably supported on frame plate 41 at 48 and thus serves as a crank for reciprocating pitman 33. Gear 42 is constantly in mesh with a small pinion 43. Pinion 43 is fast on one end of the armature shaft 44 of motor 39 which shaft has bearings in bearing plates such as 41 of the motor winch structural details are more fully shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,317,974. The motor is xedly carried on the floor 4B oftender II by means of the aforesaid upright frame plate 41 which may be secured to floor 46 by spot welding, or if preferred in some detachable manner as by removable screws or the like.

An electrical switch I2 carried by tender II is connected to throw motor 39 into or out of circuit with the power rail I6 and traction rails I3, I4 through lead wires 50 and 52. the swingable blade Il of which switch is grounded to the frame of the tender and is thus electrically in circuit with traction rails I3, I4 through the truck 53 and wheels 54 of the tender. A spring stud 55 is fixedly carried in the insulated bar 5B which spans the width of each wheel truck 53 and has its ends fixedly lodged in apertures in the side walls of the wheel truck. As best shown in Fig. 8, the U-shaped current collector shoe 60 has upwardly extending ends whose side edges are notched at 6I to be guided and limited as to vertical movement by forked arms 62 formed on the insulated bar 56 and occupying the notches 6I in the shoe. A coiled spring 63 is conductively anchored to the bottom end of stud and extends to and presses downward against a central struck-up projection in shoe by means of which the bottom end of spring 63 is retained against lateral displacement. The flexible lead wire 52 from motor 39 is soldered to shoe 60.

The use of the current collector shoe 60 on each of the two trucks of the tender insures uninterrupted performance of the vapor puffing effect even though one of these collector shoes might fail to be in contact-with the current supply rail at some position in which the train comes to rest near a turn-out track switch or the like.

Cylinder 26 may be regarded as made up of three end-to-end tubular sections such as pump section 25 forming a pump compartment in which a pump piston such as plunger 28 reciprocates, section 10 forming an air discharge compartment, and section 1I forming the sound compartment. The pump and air discharge compartments are separated by a stationary partition 61 which may be cast integrally with the cylindrical walls or may take the form of a wall of sheet metal or other material thinner than shown in the drawing and peripherally fitting the interior of cylinder 26 so as to make a pneumatically tight `ioint. Partition 61 contains a small central orifice 68 at which a stream of air may be generated and projected toward the left in Figs. 1 and 6 when plunger 28 moves in that direction. The air discharge compartment and sound compartment are separated by a stationary partition 69 winch is preferably rigid throughout and may take the form oi' a dished cup of sheet metal or the like whose peripheral flange ts and forms an air tight joint with the interior surface of cylinder 2E.

l 68 may be .076"

Partition 99 is provided with means for iluctuating air flow in the form of an elongated aperture 12 which is both wider and longer than orifice 58, and whose ends are bordered by oppositely inclined lips 66 and 96 of eyelid shape formed by warping, in respectively opposite directions from' the plane of the partition. -the otherwise flat sheet material of which partition 69 is composed, as is more clearly set forth in the aforesaid Patent No. 2,317,974.

In the last said patent it is set forth that orifice in diameter, circular hole 16 may be in diameter and aperture 12 may be :1'1" wide by long, where the diameter of the sound chamber isl" and the spacing from partition 61 to partition 69 is H; and that the foregoing are merely suggestive dimensions which may be varied proportionally or in degree. They in no way limit the scope oi' the appended claims. Gear 42 may have sixty-four teeth and pinion 42 may have ten teeth whereupon if the gear turns 80 to 120 R. P. M. the pinion would rotate six times as fast, these also being but illustrative specifications.

Whereas partition 69. having a lipped aperture as described, is adequate to sounds it is desired to produce can be enhanced by the addition of other means for fluctuating airflow in the form of an auxiliary stationary baille plate 15 containing a simple centrally disposed circular hole 16 spaced from aperture 12 toward partition 69, mounting tabs .such as 14 are pro-` vided having suitable differing axial length which may be secured to partition 69 by soldering, welding or in a removable manner if preferred. A cutout 13 in the wall of plays a further important p'art in the pneumatic performance of the fume puffing apparatus next to bevdescrlbed.

The present improvements involve in particular the addition oi smoke-like visible vapor generating storing and ejecting apparatus to the means presence nor the location of the vapor generating and pulling apparatus shall be obvious to a casual observer of the toy tion on its track.

In keeping with these objectives, the smoke-like vapor generating and storing unit or fume reserthese improvements, which is indicated as train while in natural posithe locomotive traction motor 22.

ably ductile vmetal to form the upstanding stud plate 19 projects rearwardly to form a mounting flange removably secured by screws 11 on top of support bosses 18 cast on the interior of the locomotive cab 9|. Container 92 plenishable substance herein illustrated as a lower oil containing chamber 96. Such reservoir and repository may be separated by means of a horizontal partition 91 which may be cast integral with the side walls of the container.

other hole Il within smoke chamber but which its two ends dangling on the floor wall of container 92 within the oil chamber 96.

Around a stretch of binding posts 9| and 92 which penetrate through plate 93 from the metal of container Ordinary non-oxidizing resistance wire of about .004" long will be found to Binding post 92 is grounded to the frame of the locomotive at 93 by means of lead wire 93 or in any other desired manner to insure good electrical binding post 92 in circuit lector shoe I1 of locomotive l0 which shoe constantly wipes against the third or power rail I6 of the electrified track.

For replenishing the oil in chamber 96 filler plug screw 99 may be removed. washer |00 clamped under the head of screw 99 prevents leakage of oil. Completely filling chamber 96 with oil through the opening plugged by screw 99 requires turning the locomotive up on end. However, an alternatively usable filler plug screw 99 whose head clamps the gasket washer tender il.

Smoke chamber 96 comprises a reservoir of agences hooded nature shaped to store therewithin and to hinder the escape in unwanted directions therefrom of residual smoke or fumes derived from the heating of oil in wick 89 and has a rearwardly directed nipple I| and a forwardly directed nipple |02. The cylindrical wall of sound compartment 1| may carry a similar nipple at |03. A length of flexible tubing |04 of rubber or other suitable conduit material connects with and extends from nipple |03 to nipple |0| thus giving fluid .communication between sound compartment '|I and smoke chamber 85 and forming part of a passageway giving pneumatic communication between reservoir 85 and certain fume incitng or impulsing apparatus including the impulser or reciprocator 2B hereinbefore described. Flexible tubing |04 permits freedom of locomotive I0 and tender l| to swerve relative to each other when the'locomotive is hauling the tender by means of pivotal coupling 51 around curves in the track. Another length of ilexible tubing connects with and extends from nipple |02 to a vapor outlet at which the tube gives freely to the exterior of the locomotive through the limitative smoke stack |06. The combined tubing helps form a course of conduit which includes the fume chamber or reservoir 85. As an example of workable dimensions which have been found satisfactory in practicing the invention, where the smoke chamber measures approximately 1" x "A" x l/2", the orifice in nipple |03 may be in diameter and the orifices in nipples |0I and |02 may respectively be Jg" and in diameter. The inside diameter of tubes |06 and |00 may be 5/8".

. In Figs. 6 and 7 an extra and separate pump or second iluid impulser indicated as a whole by ||0 is provided additional to the cylinder 29 of the sound apparatus which cylinder in this modiiied form of tender may remain in all respects as shown in the aforesaid Patent 2,317,974. Pump I I0 comprises a cup-like structure or pump casing interposed between motor 39 and the cylinder 28 its open end facing the open end of the latter. A pump plunger |I2 similar to the pump plunger 20' is composed of a dished core IIS, a backing plate III, and sandwiched therebetween a cupped flexible piston ||5 of leather or other suitable substance saturated or coated with grease or the like to enable its turned-over peripheral edge to engage slidingly with the inner cylindrical surface of pump casing ||1 in a vmanner to force air toward the right in Figs. 6 and 7. As usual in air pump operation, this peripheral edge collapses radially inward to permit plunger ||2 to slide toward the left in said iigures without creating appreciable suction between the plunger and the right end of the pump casing. The inner face of plunger I|2 thereby serves as a fluid impelling instrumentality for generating air flow. Core H3, plate ||4 and ilexible piston ||5 are clamped ilxedly together on one riveted-over end of a rigid piston rod IIB of reduced diameter and the opposite end of piston rod ||6 is also reduced in diameter and penetrates and is riveted over against the dished core 29 thus clamping `ilxedly together said core 29, piston 30 and backing plate 3| of the pump plunger 20'. Also and by the same means there is xedly clamped against backing plate 3|, the turned-over end 34 of a lengthwise reciprocative bar 33' having oiset 40 and whose opposite end pivotally engages an outwardly projecting stud ||8 iixedly carried bycross head ||1, the latter constituting a rectangular block freely slidable, coniined and guided in the channel bracket |00 which is of C-shaped cross section and welded or otherwise secured iixedly against the outside of pump casing as shown in Fig. 13. The pitman link |08 is pivotally coupled to the cross head stud ||8 and also to gear 42 at 4| thus enabling rotation of this gear to reciprocate cross head stud I I8 horizontally of the channel bracket and thereby reciprocate both plungers 28' and ||2 in unison as a single reciprocator having oppositely directed vapor pumping faces in their respective pump casings 28 and III. In the construction of Figs. 6 and 7 it will be appreciated that neither of the pump plungers 28 nor ||2 are required to incline away from perpendicular relation to the axis oi' their cylindrical casings as they reciprocate therewithin.

Pump casing III is equipped with a nipple H9 similar to nipple |02 of Fig. 4 and a length of flexible tubing |04' fits over this nipple and ex tends to nipple |0| of container 82 as does tubing |04 in Fig, l. Either tubing Ill or |06' may easily be detached from nipple |0| when it is desired to separate the tender from the locomotive. 1f desired the stack also may be equipped with an internal nipple, as |20 in Fig. 1l, for the convenient gas tight attachment of tubing |05. In some cases this nipple may be of the L-branch type, one of whose branches will receive the supplementary tubing |'2I which leads to the location of the imitative locomotive cylinder I9. As shown in Fig. l2, this cylinder may incorporate directly beside the locomotive piston rod 2li a rearwardly directed small orice |22 for vapor arriving through tubing |2I, the latter connecting to a nipple |23. In order to eilect more even distribution between stack |06 and cylinder I9 of the steam-like vapor which is blown out of the generator 80, tubing |2i may, if desired, branch oi from tubing |05 by means of some Y-branch connector as at 52d, instead of at the L-branch nipple |26. In that case the latter could be plugged. Or if the L-branch nipple were used the Y-branch connector could be plugged. Or when vapor is to be delivered only to the stack of the locomotive, both nipple E20 Vand connector |25 may be plugged or omitted from the construction.

The operation will be described with reference to the diagram of circuit connections in Fig 10. In both Figs. 9 and 10, a toy transformer |29 of the voltage modulating type is equipped with a voltage varying control handle |3| which can be swung away from an extreme position that will cut out .all current supply to power rail I6, and through a. range of other positions wherein various voltages, up to say 15 volts, will be impressed on the track circuit. Transformer |29 by means of an attachment cord |32 is adapted to be tapped into any ordinary householdl electric outlet delivering the usual volts through mains |33. At quite low voltages Within the indicated range of variable voltage under 15 volts the motor 39 on the tender or as energized through circuit |66052M50 |2-I3 will run at low speed for producing pumng effects if switch I2 is closed. Simultaneously the locomotive traction motor 22 will be energized through the A or C positions of reversing switch 23 which alternate with positions B and D as the commutator drum of this switch is advanced step by step by successive strokes of the plunger of solenoid |30 at each cut-oil and restoration of current supply to power rail I6 through regulating transformer |29. In these improvements mote control and quite independently of the motion or speed of running of locomotive I or its traction motor 22. These puffing effects may consist of pulling sounds emitted from an invisible source within tender H which sounds therefore seem to the observer to come from the locomotive. itself, and such effects in the present imance.

The vapor is generated according to this invention by heating resistance wire 90 to a tem perature less than red hot through current `in electric circuit |6-l 1-96-95-94-90-93- l 3. This in no way impairs nor burns nor tends to At each reciprocative excursion of plunger in Fis. 1, or of plungers 28' 7, a fricative sound such exhausted steam and smoke in a real locomotive is produced by the play of a jet of air from orifice 68 upon the lips of partition apertures 18 or 12, and in correspondence with `such sound a puff or billow of visible smoker-like vapor is blown out of the vapor generator 8l 28 and H2 in Figs. 6 and and thus produces the appearance of a pun' of smokelike vapor leaving locomotive stack rearwardly spurted out in the close neighborhood of the engine piston rod 24 as a momentary .iet of vapor of steam-like appearance which realistically imitates steam that commonly escapes from the packing about the piston rod in a real locomotive.

22 may remain stalled even i as is made by abruptly intermittently by means the ability oi the return Fig. 1 to create a suction in tube I that is capable of drawing smoke or fumes from container 82 backward through this tube.

Thus, .whereas cylinder 26 is' but illustrative of any sort of vapor constrainingpassageway that might be provided to afford pneumatic communication between the impulser or reciprocator 28 and fume reservoir 85 for directing toward pules derived from working cator 28, the cut out 13 in compartment 10 constitutes a bleeder opening in such passageway in branch relation thereto in the neigh- In the above described manner it will be appreelated that the occurrence of the puffs of visible vapor are synchronized with the occurrence of the puffing sounds as is characteristic of these and steam as elected under forced draft when a heavy train is beginning to pick up speed, is

toy train both in audible and visible form under the remote control of the transformer handle ISI.

When the sound eilect ls desired without the smoke effect, switch blade I8 is shifted by the handle of switch l2 to switch the heating resistance coil out of circuit.-

construction but is here shown as a segmental 58 pivoted at 59 and handle or thumb knob El between full line position and broken line posistroke of piston 28 ln.

oil of menthol, camphor oil, many kinds and derivativesof crude or petroleum oil, etc. It is desirable to select oils which do not vaporize so fast as to require impractically frequent replenishment while the oils should be light enough to readily seep through the wicking 90 by capillary attraction.

The vapor, fumes, or smoke generated in the way and by means of the thermal Vaporizing apparatus herein specified will in no way be harmful to person or property however long and intimate the contact with such fumes may be. The visible vapors thus puffed out of the toy locomotive stack intermittently will in miniature volume wait and disperse in close similarity to the behaviour of mixed smoke and steam as ejected from the locomotive of a real steam train, trailing out and hanging low over the train and track after the locomotive has passed. The heat generated in the electrothermal vaporizer never makes any of the surrounding parts of the toy hot enough to burn the hand. The insulative cover plate 83 serves also as a heat insulator to prevent escape of heat from coil 90vto container 82.

While the invention may be embodied in any vapor puffing toy where realistic sight and sound effects are desired and whereas various definite specifications have been given herein as a guide to practical embodiment of the invention it will be understood that many and in some cases wide departures may be made from such specifications within the intended scope of the following claims whose terms are inclusive of all substitutes and equivalents for the particular forms, sizes and arrangements of the parts herein disclosed that are commonly known or likely to be suggested by the disclosure hereof.

I claim:

1. In a hollow toy having a vapor outlet for the emission of fumes from said toy, a replenishable substance convertible by heat into fumeladen vapor, means to generate said heat, means for storing said fume-laden vapor simultaneously with the generation thereof, and means to liberate at least portions of the stored vapor from said toy at particular times through said outlet.

2. In a combined sight and sound eiect toy, the combination of, a toy structure having a discharge outlet for pseudo engine exhaust, a producer of pneumatic puiling sounds including a iiuid impulser, a reservoir supplied with smokelike fumes, and apparatus in said toy structure for causing fumes derived from said reservoir to depart from said discharge outlet including a course of conduit constructed and connected to lead fluid from said impulser to said reservoir and also to lead fumes from said reservoir to said outlet.

3. A hollow toy including in combination, a vapor outlet for the emission oi fumes from the toy, a repository in said toy receptive to a replenishable substance convertible by heat into potentialiy visible fumes, means to heat said substance suiciently to convert the same progressively into said fumes, a hooded reservoir for storing residual fumes -derived from said substance during heating of the latter having vapor communication with said outlet and shaped to hinder escape of said residual fumes from said reservoir whereby said residual fumes are retained by and caused to dwell Within said reser-` voir, fume inciting apparatus including an impulser, a passageway aording pneumatic communication between said apparatus and said reservoir in a manner to transmit to residual fumes in said reservoir successive pressure forces derived from said impulser thereby to crowd out of said reservoir and through said outlet at least portions of said residual fumes in intermittent puis.

4. In a combined sight and sound effect apparatus for toys, a producer of pulling sounds lncluding a duid activating device, a vapor retaining reservoir containing vapor having an appearance simulating smoke and/or steam when liberated into free aix', and apparatus for causing the vapor in said reservoir (to be incited in a manner to leave the toy in visible smoke-like or steam-like puils, said apparatus including a passageway arranged to ailord duid communication between said device and lsaid reservoir thereby to cause vapor in said reservoir to be incited and liberated from the latter, together with means operatively associated with said passageway constructed and arranged to prevent withdrawal ot fluid from said reservoir through said passageway by said device.

5. In a hollow toy having a vapor outlet for the emission of fumes from said toy, a repository in said toy receptive to a replenlshable substance convertible by heat into potentially visible fumes, means to generate said heat, a reservoir hooded to suicient extent to store therewithin residual fumes derived from said substance simultaneously with the generation of said heat, and fume inciting apparatus including an impulser pneumatically communicating with said reservoir in a manner to exert intermittent pressure but not appreciable suction upon residual fumes therein, thereby to crowd out of said reservoir and through said outlet in a course foreign to said apparatus at least portions of said residual fumes in inter mittent visible puffs.

6. A hollow toy including in combination a vapor outlet for the emission of fumes from the toy, a repository in said toy receptive to a replenishable substance convertible by heat into potentially visible Iumes, means to heat said substance sufiiciently to convert the same progressively into said fumes, a reservoir of hooded nature for storing residual fumes derived from said substance during heating of the latter having vapor communication with said outlet and shaped to hinder escape of said residual fumes from said reservoir in unwanted directions whereby said residual fumes are retained by and caused to tarry within said reservoir.l fume inciting apparatus including a reciprocator adapted to perform alternate working and return motions, a passageway aording pneumatic communication between said apparatus and said reservoir in a manner to direct toward residual fumes in said lreservoir successive pressure impulses derived from working motion of said reciprocator thereby to crowd out of said reservoir and through said outlet `at least portions of said residual fumes in intermittent puffs, together with a bleeder opening disposed in branch relation to said passageway permitting vagrant vapors to ilow therethrough toward and away from said reciprocator in a manner to dilute pneumatically the forcefulness with which l said motions of the reciprocator act upon the rea toy locomotive having a traction motor ci, an electriiled track adapted to feet.; current to said motor, a train carried electrically cnergizable generator of visible smoke-like vapor, a train carriedwimpulsion apparatus cooperatively related to said generator in a manner to cause said vapor to depart from said generator and appear in visible puffs, an electrically energizable prime train rides along said track.

9. The combination with toy railway rolling stock having traction wheels and including a toy locomotive of, devices carried by said rolling stock produce imitative steam pumng sounds including an instrumentality movable independently of said traction wheels, a reservoir carried by said pulls at a frequency predetermined in relation to the occurrence of said puillng sounds by said apparatus independently of the wheel speed oi' said rolling stock.

10. The combination deilned in claim 9, together with a generator of visible smoke-like vapor including an electrically energizable vaporiser, a prime by said train conmentalities and the said apparatus, track, and electrical connections from both said vapor collecting current therefrom as the said toy train rides along said track.

11. The combination with electric toy-railway rolling stock including an electrically driven toy with the occurrence of said puiilng sounds.

12. The combination with toy railway rolling stock including a toy locomotive of, a producer of imitative steam puillng sounds carried by said tive in visible smoke-like puiis, said apparatus including a passageway arranged to ail'ord uid be incited and liberated from the latter.

13. The combination dened in claim l2, in which the said vapor inciting apparatus includes a plurality of fluid impelling pump pistons mechanically interconnected to move 'in predetermined time relationship.

14. The combination with toy railway rolling stock having traction wheels and including a toy locomotive of, devices including an instrumentality movable independently of said traction wheels carried by said rolling stock opera. tive to produce imitative steam pumng sounds, a reservoir carried by said rolling stock containing Avapor having an appearance simulating smole or steam when liberated therefrom into.

free air, apparatus carried by said rolling stock including an instrumentality ently o! said traction wheels to vapor in said reservoir in a manner to incite said vapor for causing the same to leave said 1ocomotive in visible smoke-like pun's, and a common prime mover carried by said rolling stock operatively independent of said carried by said containing vapor having an appearance simulating smoke and/or steam when liberated into free air,l and impulcarried by said rolling stock inthe form of visible puits predeterminately related in timing to said pulling sounds.

17. The combination with originating at into free air in the form of visible puils predeterminately related to said pulling sounds in timing and changeably related to the speed of said locomotive traction motor.

18. Means for producing tion wheels. means carried to generate smoke-like fumes, and apparatus carried by said rolling stock for producing intermittent discharges of said smoke-like fumes from id toy fomottlve including a mechanical recfprcfH'e-tor constructed and arranged to perform l '.me mpusing strokes with varying rapidity unproportioned to the speed of said traction wheels and in a manner to cause discharge or said fumes with variable frequency unproportioned to the speed of travel of said rolling stock.

19. Means for causing fumes to wait out from toy railway wheeled rolling stock in visible smokelike puffs of variable frequency unproportioned to the wheel speed of said rolling stock, including in combination with said rollingtstock. a container of fumes adapted to be visible upon liberation into free air carried by said rolling stock, and apparatus carried by said rolling stock for eilecting a pulsating discharge of said fumes from the rolling stock including a reciprocator constructed and arranged to perform fume impulsing strokes with variable rapidity unproportioned to the wheel speed of said rolling stock.

20. A toy train set incorporating the combination of, a toy track, a toy locomotive, rolling stock hauled by said locomotive, a producer of imitatlve steam puiling sounds carried by said rolling stock, a source of fumes having the appearance of smoke and/or steam when liberated into free air carried by said locomotive, apparatus operative to cause the fumes in said reservoir to be incited so that some of said fumes depart from the locomotive into free air in visible smoke-like puis including connections extending between said locomotive and said rolling stock operative to synchronize the occurrence of said visible puffs with the occurrence of said pumng sounds. t

21. A toy train set as defined in claim 20, in which the said sound producer includes a iluid impulser, and the said connections extending between the said locomotive and said rolling stock include a flexible duid conduit leading from said impulser to the said source of fumes.

22. A toy train set as defined in claim 20, in which the said sound producer includes a fluid impulser, and the said connections include a ilexible conduit communicating respectively with said fluid impulser and with the said source of fumes, said conduit being detachable at least in part to permit separation of the said locomotive from the said rolling stock.

23. A toy train set including the combination of. a toy locomotive adapted to travel on a toy track, toy rolling stock adapted to travel on the same track separably coupled to said locomotive to be hauled thereby, pumping means carried by said rolling stock operative to incite vapor 'into intermittent streams of flow, conduit means to guide said streams of vapor into a controlled path of ilow outward of said locomotive, apparatus carried by said locomotive operative to generate and admix with said vapor fumes giving to said vapor the appearance of smoke and/or steam issuing from the locomotive, and means carried by said rolling stock to fluctuate said streams of vapor in a manner to produce pneumatic noises imitative of sounds produced by escaping steam and/ or air.

24. Means for causing visible vapor having the appearance of steam and/or smoke to exhaust intermittently out of toy railway rolling stock in synchronous relation to the occurrence of intermittent sounds imitative of escaping steam,

including the combination with said rolling stock of, a mechanical piston-like reciprocator having oppositely directed vapor pumping faces, a pneumatic sounder in said rolling stock, an outlet for vapor in said rolling stock, a passageway leading vapor from one face of said reciprocator to said sounder, and a' second passageway leading vapor from the other face of said reciprocate` to said outlet, together with means to impregnate with visible fumes the vapor led through said second passageway to impart. thereto the appearance of steam and/ or smoke.

25. Means for causing visible vapor having the appearance of steam and/or smoke to exhaust intermittently out of toy railway rolling stock in synchronism with the occurrence of intermittent sounds imitative 'of escaping steam, includride on an electried track including a toy locomotive, a variable speed electric tractional motor carried by said locomotive, a second variable speed electric motor carried by said train, means to maintain b oth of said motors in electrical connection with the track on which said train travels, a source of fumes in said train having the appearance of smoke and/or steam when liberated into free air, and pumping apparatus carried by said train and operated by said second variable speed motor arranged to impulse said fumes for driving the latte'r intermittently out of said 1ocomotive into free air.

27. The combination of, a toy train adapted to ride on an electried track including a toy ,Y

locomotive, a variable speed electric tractional motor carried by said locomotive for driving the latter, a second variable speed electric motor carried by said train, means to maintain both of said motors in electrical connection with the track on which train travels, a source of fumes in said train having the appearance of smoke and/or steam, pumping apparatus carried by said train and operated by said second variable speed motor arranged to impulse said fumes for driving the latter intermittently out of said locomotive, and voltage regulating means to vary simultaneously the electrical energy furnished to both of said motors, the power of said second motor in relation to the load imposed thereupon by said apparatus being greater than the power of said tractional motor in relation to the load imposed thereupon by Seide-locomotive, whereby an equal increase of electrical energy delivered simultaneously to said two motors will result in more abrupt increase of speed of said second motor than of said tractional motor.

28. A toy train set incorporating the combination of, a toy track, rolling stock including a toy locomotive having an outlet for vapor, a driving motor carried by said locomotive connected to impel the latter along said track, fluid pumping means carried by said rolling stock having sumcient vapor displacing capacity to incite vapor into intermittent streams of iiow reaching to said vapor outlet, means to guide said streams of vapor into a controlled path of flow between said pumping means and said vapor outlet, an

auxiliary motor carried by said rolling stock mesounds at different frequencies irrespective of the travel of said rolling stock.

29. ln a combined sight and sound eiect apparatus for toys, a producer of pneumatic pulling sounds including a pump piston and cylinder, a reservoir shaped to contain and retain vapor having an appearance simulating smoke and/or steam when liberated into free air, apparatus operative to cause the vapor in said reservoir to be incited so that some of said vapor leaves the toy in visible smoke-like or steam-like puffs, and operative connections between said soundproducer and said apparatus Aconstructed and arranged to synchronize the occurrence of said visible puffs with the occurrence of said puffing sounds.

30. In a combined sight and sound eiect apparatis for toys, a producer of pulling sounds including a fluid activating device, a vapor retaining reservoir containing vapor having an appearance simulating smoke and/or steam when liberated into free air, and apparatus for causing the vapor in said reservoir to be incited in a manner to leave the toy in visible smoke-like or steam-like puil's, said apparatus including a pas- Sageway arranged to aiford fluid communication between said device and said reservoir thereby to cause vapor in said reservoir to be incited and liberated from the latter.

In a combined sight and sound effect apparatus for toys, a device for fluctuating flowing fluid in a manner to imitate steam puffing sounds, a generator of vapor visible upon discharge into free air, and impulsion apparatus including means both to impel said flowing fluid and to impel a separate flow of fluid into disturbing relation to said vapor in a manner to cause the latter to be discharged into free air in the form of visible puffs predeterminately related in timing to said pulling sounds.

32. In combination with sight and sound effect apparatus as defined in claim 3l, sound throttling means manually shiftable to and from a position wherein said means are operative to prevent the making of puffing sounds by the said device for fluctuating fluid flow.

33. In combination with sight and sound effect apparatus as dened in claim 31, generator disabling means manually shiftable to and from a position wherein said means are operative to prevent supply of visible vapor by the said generator.

34. In combination with sight and sound effect apparatus as defined in claim 31, separately manipulatable sound throttling means and generator disabling means individually operative on occasions respectively and alone to prevent the making of pulling sounds by the said sound producer and to prevent the supply of visible vapor -by said generator.

35. Inl a combined sight and sound effect toy, the combination of, a toy structure having a discharge outlet for pseudo engine exhaust, a producer of pneumatic pulling sounds including a fluid impulser, a reservoir supplied with smokelike fumes, and apparatus in said toy structure for causing fumes derived from said reservoir to depart from said discharge outlet including a second fluid impulser mechanically associated with the first impulser, together with a course of conduit constructed 4and connected to lead fluid from said second impulser to said reservoir and to lead fumes from said reservoir to said outlet.

36. A fume generating toy as defined in claim 33, in which the said liquid reservoir and the said fume collecting chamber comprise adjacent compartments defined by wall structure including a partition section baiiling free gravity flow of liquid from the said liquid reservoir into the said chamber, and the said wick extends through said partition section and has at least one of its two opposite ends located in said liquid reservoir and has a looped intermediate portion of its length located in said fume collecting chamber, and said heating element comprises a length of electrical resistance wire held in surface contact with said wick in said fume collecting chamber.

37. A fume generating toy as defined in claim 33, in which the said liquid reservoir and the said fume collecting chamber comprise adjacent compartments defined by wall structure including a partition section baffling free gravity flow of liquid from the said liquid reservoir into said chamber, and .the said wick extends through said partition section and is supportedly lodged therein and has at least one of its opposite ends located in said liquid reservoir and has a looped intermediate portion of its length located in said fume collecting chamber, and said heating element comprises a length of electrical resistance wire wound about and in surface contact with said wick in said fume collecting chamber.

38. A fume generating toy as defined in claim 33, in which the said liquid reservoir and the said fume collecting chamber comprise adjacent compartments defined by wall structure including a partition section baiiiing free gravity flow of liquid from the said liquid reservoir into said chamber, and the said wick extends past said wall structure from one to the other of said compartments, and said heating element comprises electrical resistance wire heldin surface contact with said wick in said fume chamber, together with binding posts on the outside of said wall structure supported thereby and insulated therefrom and connected to said resistance wire by electrical conductors extending inside of said chamber.

39. A fume producing and fume storing toy including a hollow unit housed within the confines of said toy, embodying in combination, a box-like structure including a base wall, side walls and a top Wall, a partition integral with said side walls dividing said structure into upper and lower compartments and containing at least one open.. ing leading from one to the other of said compartments, wicking tightly filling said opening and extending into both of said compartments,

f electrical conductors extending through said top wall, and an electric heating unit in said upper compartment connected to said conductors for electrical energization therethrough.

40. A fume producing and fume storing toy as defined in claim 39, in which the said side walls have a filler opening located so as to admit the pouring of liquid into the said lower compartment therethrough, together with a removable cover adapted to seal said nlled opening liquidtight.

41. A fume producing and fume storing toy as defined in claim 39. in which the top of the upper compartment is seaied against escape of fumes and the said side walls have a discharge opening located so as to give vent to vapors contained in the said upper compartment at a lower level than the top thereof.

42. A fume producing and fume storing toy as defined in claim 39, in which the said top wall is removably attached to said side walls and includes insulating material.

43. A fume producing and fume storing toy as defined in claim 39, in which the said bottom wall is removably attached to said side walls for cleaning out the said lower compartment.

44. The method of producing puffs of visible vapor imitative of steam engine exhaust from the stack of a portable toy power plant, which consists in, storing within a closed chamber a dispensible supply of liquid capable of conversion by heat into smoke-like fumes, transferring said substance by capillary seepage gradually and continually out of said space and into vaporizing proximity to a zone of heat, collecting in a stack vented confined space isolated from said chamber a volume of fumes constantly generated from said transferred liquid by said heat, and intermittently forcing gaseous charges into said collected volume of fumes in a manner to drive intermittently out of said confined space through said stack successive charges of said fumes in smoke-like puffs.

45. The method of safely generating and re-y ing said fumes in a confined space outside of said closed chamber having a restricted vent to atmosphere, and intermittently forcing gaseous charges into said collected fumes in a manner to eject intermittently outward through said vent successive puffs of said fumes.

46. In a hollow toy having a vapor outlet for the emission of fumes from said toy, a replenishable substance convertible by heat into fumeladen vapor, means to generate said heat, means for collecting said fume-laden vapor until the same is designedly emitted from the toy, and means isolating said fume-laden vapor from said replenishable substance.

47. A fume generating toy including the combination of, a reservoir constructed and arranged to seal a contained body of liquid against escape therefrom by gravity iiow in all positions of said reservoir, a fume collecting chamber isolated from said reservoir, a capillary feeder partly immersed in said body of liquid operative to conduct said liquid gradually by capillary attraction from said reservoir into said chamber, and a heating element in said chamber arranged to heat the feeder conducted liquid to a temperature for producing fumes in said chamber isolated from surface con- 20 tact with said reservoir contained body of liquid.

48. A fume generating toy as defined in claim 47, in which the said capillary feeder comprises a fibrous asbestos wick arranged to conduct the said liquid upward from the said `reservoir into the said chamber, together with a wall structure separating said reservoir and chamber. in a manner to limit travel of said liquid therebetween to capillary seepage along said wick.

49. A fume generating toy as defined in claim 47, in which the said fume collecting chamber is outside of and closely above the said reservoir, together with a wall structure separating said chamber from said reservoir in a manner to limit travel of the said liquid therebetween to seepage along the said capillary feeder.

50. A fume generating toy as defined in claim 47, in which the said fume collecting chamber is outside of and closely above the said reservoir, and the said capillary feeder comprises a wick extending upward from said reservoir into said chamber, together with a wall structure separating said chamber from said reservoir in a manner to limit travel of the said liquid therebetween to seepage along said wick.

51. A fume generating toy as defined in claim 47, in which the said heating element comprises loops of a coil of electrical resistance' wire and the said capillary feeder comprises a stretch of wick passing axially through said coil of wire, together with top and bottom housing walls bordering the said fume collecting chamber, said wire being in part supported by said top wall and said wick being in part supported by said bottom wall.

52. A fumel generating toy as dened in claim 47, in which the said heating element comprises loops of a coilof electrical resistance wire and the said capillary feeder comprises a stretch of wick passing axially through said coil of wire, together with a housing wall overlying the said fume collecting chamber and supporting said coil Vby means of extensions of said wire attached to lying housing wall.

WILLIAM R. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,287,768 Schanschiei Dec. 17, 1918 1,303,117 Roe May 6, l1919 1,737,787 Dombrow Dec. 3, 1929 1,972,600 Rebonl et al Sept. 4, 1934 2,253,610 Coderre Aug. 26, 1941 

